"Biophilia" is the term coined by Edward O. Wilson, author of The
Diversity of Life and winner of two Pulitzer prizes, to describe what he
believes is our innate affinity for the natural world. In his landmark
book Biophilia, he examined how our tendency to focus on life and
lifelike processes might be a biologically based need, integral to our
development as individuals and as a species. The idea has caught the
imagination of diverse thinkers. The Biophilia Hypothesis brings
together the views of some of the most creative scientists of our time,
each attempting to amplify and refine the concept of biophilia. The
various perspectives - psychological, biological, cultural, symbolic,
and aesthetic - frame the theoretical issues by presenting empirical
evidence that supports or refutes the hypothesis. Numerous examples
illustrate the idea that biophilia and its converse, biophobia, have a
genetic component: people develop fear and even full-blown phobias of
snakes and spiders with very little negative reinforcement, while more
threatening modern artifacts - knives, guns, automobiles - rarely elicit
such a response; people would rather look at water, green vegetation, or
flowers than built structures of glass and concrete; and the development
of language, myth, and thought appears to be greatly dependent on the
use of natural symbols, particularly animals. The biophilia hypothesis,
if substantiated, provides a powerful argument for the conservation of
biological diversity. More important, it implies serious consequences
for our well-being as society becomes further estranged from the natural
world. Relentless environmental destruction could have a significant
impact on our quality of life,not just materially but psychologically
and even spiritually.
